Nov 17, (V7N) - Super Typhoon Man-yi caused widespread destruction across the Philippines on Sunday, uprooting trees, downing power lines, and tearing off roofs as it moved through the storm-battered nation. The typhoon, which made landfall on Catanduanes island, brought sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph), forcing over 650,000 people to evacuate to avoid its "potentially catastrophic" impact. Fortunately, early evacuations helped prevent casualties, officials reported.

The province of Catanduanes bore the brunt of the typhoon, particularly the town of Panganiban, where fallen power lines, damaged homes, and debris littered the streets. Residents described the storm’s intensity as unprecedented, with lingering strong winds hampering immediate recovery efforts. Despite the severe damage in parts of the region, some nearby areas, such as Albay province, reported minimal impact.

Man-yi is the sixth major storm to strike the Philippines in the past month, following a deadly streak that has already claimed at least 163 lives, displaced thousands, and destroyed crops and livestock. Experts link the increasing frequency and intensity of such storms to climate change, which amplifies heavy rains and destructive winds.

Forecasters predict Man-yi will weaken slightly as it approaches Luzon, the Philippines' most populous island, before heading toward the South China Sea. The late-season typhoon follows an unusually active period in November, when four storms simultaneously formed in the Pacific basin, a rare phenomenon since record-keeping began in 1951.

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